Editorials

Levy vote: Check yes, support Morenci schools 2014.05.01

There’s bound to be a few readers out there in their late 50s. How are you feeling? Is everything still operating smoothly? Have you had any serious repairs done to your aging body? Are you looking as good as when you were 30?

Anyone out there younger than age 57 wasn’t alive when Morenci Elementary School was constructed. Like many of you who were alive then, the aging school is in need of some work to keep it going. It still has a lot of years ahead, like you hope you do, yourself. And the same as with you, some preventive maintenance can go along way.

Let’s look at those who are a little younger, you who are in your mid-40s. Do you still have all your hair? Are you still as trim and fit as you were in your mid-20s?

In this case, we’re addressing those of you who are younger than 44 because none of you were alive when Morenci’s high school was built.

That’s four decades of students passing through the doors and crowds filling the bleachers for sporting events and band concerts.

There have been four decades of vast technological changes. When the high school was built, personal computers weren’t even imagined. Of course there was nothing in place for the networks that carry today’s high-speed internet traffic—a feature that’s becoming more and more necessary in education.

There are a lot of maintenance and upgrade needs at Morenci’s school buildings. Even the new middle school could use a little help to keep up with the times.

The district is fortunate that no major physical needs have come along in recent years to rob the general fund, because the general fund doesn’t have the cash to cover the work.

Even the maintenance worked needed can’t come out of the general fund, and without passage of the bond extension next week, the work just won’t get done.

The board of education’s request is about as painless as can be in that it won’t cost taxpayers any more than it does currently. A “yes” vote will only continue what’s already being charged.

The money is very much needed to keep Morenci schools in good condition and operating smoothly. We urge all district residents to accept the board’s plea and support the bond extension.